Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider the decision not to allow area aid payment for new lupins in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The EU legislation covering the Arable Area Payments Scheme requires that payments only be made on crops which are suited agriculturally and climatically for growing in the areas concerned. Existing evidence and scientific views suggest that sweet lupins are not suitable for growing in Scotland.

  However, my officials are beginning a round of further consultation and analysis with scientific advisers and members of the industry to evaluate the viability of newer varieties. Based upon the outcome of these discussions, the position on inclusion of sweet lupins in the scheme in Scotland will be reviewed in advance of the 2002 AAPS Scheme year.

Citizen’s Juries

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has in relation to citizens’ juries.

Jackie Baillie: The Executive has invited area-based SIPs to participate in the roll-out of the People’s Jury initiative following the successful pilots and publication of guidance. The Executive will provide support for each area-based SIP which wishes to hold a People’s Jury.

Crime

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce the murder rate.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is committed to making Scotland a place where people are safer and feel safer. To that end we are working in partnership with the law enforcement agencies, with communities and with all who are concerned with the protection of the public. A recent example is the financial support we have given for the campaign launched in October 2000 by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland targeting violent crime.

Education

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that every pupil in primary education has access to music tuition.

Mr Jack McConnell: The 5-14 curriculum guidelines on Expressive Arts advise that all pupils in primary and the first two years of secondary school should learn to sing and play instruments within a timetabled class music lesson. In addition, most local councils also provide opportunities for specialist instrumental tuition.

Employment

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the introduction of paternity leave would have on Scotland’s economy.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is a reserved area. The Department of Trade and Industry issued a Green Paper, Work and Parents: Competitiveness and Choice , on 7 December 2000. The paper includes an option to introduce paid paternity leave. The consultation runs until 7 March 2001.

  The Green Paper sets out the estimated cost to the state and to employers within Great Britain if paid paternity leave is introduced. There are no separate estimated costs for Scotland.

Finance

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines exist to encourage organisations in receipt of public funding to pay debts on time.

Peter Peacock: The Late Payment of Commercial Debt Act 1998 provides a statutory right to interest on any debts which are not settled in 30 days or the agreed contractual period. The Act applies to both the public and private sectors.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish its national HIV/AIDS strategy document.

Susan Deacon: The report is being published today and is available in the Parliament Reference Centre and, shortly, on the Executive’s website.

  I am grateful to the review group for their thorough consideration of this important subject. It is clear that, despite considerable success in responding to the challenge of HIV over the past decade and more, the momentum of prevention activity must be maintained. The report provides an invaluable framework within which concerted action by the Scottish Executive, NHS Scotland, local authorities, voluntary organisations and other interests can be revitalised and strengthened.

  To assist the implementation process, the Scottish Executive is increasing funding to health boards from £6.1 million to £7.1 million in the current financial year and to £8.1 million in subsequent years for prevention work. This substantial increase reflects the commitment given in Our National Health that more resources would be made available to tackle infections like HIV and hepatitis C.

Health

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many excess winter deaths of people (a) of all ages; (b) aged 60 to 74; (c) aged 75 to 84, and (d) aged 85 or over there were in 1999-2000 and each of the preceding five years in (i) Scotland, (ii) each parliamentary constituency and (iii) each health board area.

Mr Jim Wallace: There is no universally accepted definition of "excess winter deaths". However, when presenting data for England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics defines "excess winter deaths" as being the difference between the number of deaths occurring during the four months December to March and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). The following table provides information for Scotland based on this definition. Detailed tables presenting similar information for parliamentary constituencies and health board areas have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 9924).

  


Scotland 
  

1994-95 
  

1995-96 
  

1996-97 
  

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000
(provisional) 
  



All ages 
  

2,310 
  

3,650 
  

3,640 
  

2,610 
  

4,750 
  

5,190 
  



60 to 74 
  

470 
  

980 
  

780 
  

790 
  

960 
  

1,250 
  



75 to 84 
  

930 
  

1,420 
  

1,350 
  

950 
  

1,660 
  

1,820 
  



85 and over 
  

760 
  

1,120 
  

1,350 
  

760 
  

1,920 
  

1,750

Holyrood Project

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding disciplinary action against the Permanent Secretary, Muir Russell, in relation to any adverse impact of his actions on the Holyrood Project.

Mr Tom McCabe: No. We see no need to make any representations.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the First Minister, further to the answer to question S1W-10109 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 12 October 2000, what progress has been made with the two market-led pilots on sellers’ surveys.

Henry McLeish: We have been monitoring the progress of the two sellers survey market pilots – Surveys Online and Clyde Properties. Both of these initiatives have explored innovative approaches towards identifying new methods and working practices within the house purchase system in Scotland.

Housing

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has held with Her Majesty’s Government relating to alternative models for securing investment in council housing.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive maintains regular contact with Her Majesty’s Government on this and other housing issues.

Housing

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to bring forward legislation to require sprinklers to be installed in all new and refurbished homes.

Allan Wilson: No.

Lifelong Learning

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Executive has made in enhancing lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Henry McLeish: Today we announced the way forward for the Careers Service, to help people into lifelong learning and employment. We have committed funding for 42,800 additional places in further and higher education. We have scrapped tuition fees for eligible Scottish students. We have launched learndirect scotland and Individual Learning Accounts. We are helping all Scots learn today for tomorrow’s jobs.

NHS Waiting Times

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent steps it has taken to reduce waiting times for first appointments with neurological consultants.

Susan Deacon: Reducing waiting times across all health specialties and at all stages of the patient’s journey is a key priority for the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Health Plan Our National Health reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that the patient’s journey from GP practice to hospital treatment is better, faster and more responsive.

  Provisional figures for 30 September 2000 show that between 1999 and 2000 the median waiting time across Scotland as a whole for a first outpatient appointment with a neurological consultant reduced from 80 days to 63 days.

Public Appointments

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether full-time personnel in publicly funded posts should be appointed by it to other public sector positions.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is acceptable for a person holding a full-time publicly funded post to also be appointed to part-time publicly funded posts.

Angus MacKay: Any adult can put themselves forward for consideration for public appointment whether or not they are in any form of employment, either in the public or private sector. All public appointments are governed by the principle of selection based on merit following fair, open and transparent process. An overriding factor for appointment is that there must be no conflict of interest. It is a matter for the individual employer – whether public or private – to determine policy on release of staff.

Schools

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the fabric of schools.

Mr Jack McConnell: I recently announced an additional £17.2 million in the current financial year to assist authorities in dealing with immediate repairs, maintenance and equipment problems in schools. In addition, by 2003-04 capital allocations for local authority investment in infrastructure will have increased by nearly 40% compared with current levels. We are also providing revenue support for school Public/Private Partnership schemes with a capital value of £530 million. I hope to be able to announce decisions on the allocation of a further £5 million to support early development of potential school PPP projects in the near future.

Teachers

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will apply to the implementation of the recommendations of the McCrone Committee report.

Mr Jack McConnell: The budget for 2001-02 will be laid before the Parliament in the next week or so. The budget will contain funding for teachers’ pay. A draft budget for 2002-03 will be presented to Parliament later in the year.

Transport

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met officials of the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers and what issues were discussed.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive last met with officials of the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers on 10 May 2000 and discussed issues relating to Caledonian MacBrayne’s operations and the proposed future tendering of the CalMac network.

Transport

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the development of its strategy to address problems arising from timber traffic.

Sarah Boyack: I hope to visit areas affected shortly to see problems at first hand and thereafter to work with local authorities, forestry and freight interests and road safety experts to examine practical ways of responding to this issue.

Water Charges

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide relief for voluntary organisations from water charges.

Allan Wilson: The water authorities are responsible for administering reliefs to voluntary organisations.